『Pictures of Imported Birds』(『Kaihaku Pictures of Imported Birds』) is the color-printed picture book executed in Kansei 2 (1790) in the city of Edo which depicts foreign birds texidermied in Japan. Illustrators are: Ukiyo-e artists, Kitao Masayoshi, and Kuwagata Keisai (1764-1824). From the Tenmei (1781~1789) to the Kansei (1789~1801) eras, publication of flashy and sophisticated colored picture books was prominent, which deployed exquisite printing techniques requiring manual works such as kirazuri (application of metallic pigments and mica), karazuri (blind-printing), bokashi (graduation of color), etc. The book is applauded as one of the greatest picture books among its kind.
This book is composed of 2 paintings of a person from Nanjing (Chinese) who brought rare birds and 10 paintings of combinations of birds and plants arranged in a sophisticated composition. (The collection of National Diet Library lacks 1 painting of a person from Nanjing, preface, legend, and imprint).
Illustrated books of animal and plant were published in numbers during the Edo period in the aftermath of advance of herbal medicine (honzogaku, traditional pharmacognosy) from China and natural history knowledges from Netherland. This beautifully crafted picture book seemed to have had its value for many not only as its aesthetic pleasure, but also as intriguing historic record of natural history that depicts rare birds.(en)
『來禽圖彙』（『海舶來禽圖彙』）は江戸時代に海外から日本に舶載された鳥を描いた彩色刷絵本です。絵師は浮世絵師・北尾政美(きたお まさよし)（鍬形蕙斎（くわがた けいさい）1764-1824）。寛政2年（1790）頃に江戸で刊行されました。天明（1781～1789）から寛政年間（1789～1801）にかけては雲母摺り（kirazuri, application of metallic pigments and mica）・空摺り（karazuri, blind-printing）・ぼかし（bokashi, graduation of color）等の高度で手間のかかる印刷技法を多用した、豪華で精緻な彩色刷絵本が多く出版されました。本書はそのような絵本群の中でも白眉とされている作品です。
本書は珍鳥をもたらした南京人（中国人）を描いた図版2図と、鳥を植物と組み合わせて巧みな構図で描いた図版10図から構成されます（ただし、国立国会図書館本は南京人図1図および序、凡例、奥付を欠く）。中国伝来の本草学（honzogaku, traditional pharmacognosy）の深化に加え、オランダからもたらされた西洋の博物学の知識もあいまって、江戸時代には多くの植物、動物の図譜が作られました。本書も美しい絵本として楽しまれただけではなく、珍しい鳥類を描いた博物学資料としても、人々の興味を満たす役割を果たしたものと考えられます。(ja)
装丁 : 和装, 全13枚. 序, 凡例, 奥付, 「Chineesen op surroonden van Nankin」(南京人図)を欠く, 書名は扉題による. 後補の書き題簽書名: 來禽圖會, 色刷, Color print, Binding: Traditional Japanese hardcover bookbinding, Titled based on the title on the title page. Title page title written in later editions: Pictures of Imported Birds, 13 Chapters, with missing foreword, legend, imprint, and Chineesen op surroonden van Nankin
